Scriptures Prohibiting the Wearing of Pants by Women?

I have cut and pasted all five verses prohibiting women wearing pants from
my KJV.

Please study the five verses below with an open mind and you will see what
the Bible actually says about women not wearing pants....

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

(That's right, friend, there are absolutely no verses at all that prohibit
pants on women!)

B) Deuteronomy 22:5

Ah, but you say what about this verse...

The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall
a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the
LORD thy God. Deuteronomy 22:5 (KJV)

Well quite simply, there are four reasons why I have difficulty with the
no-pants interpretation from this passage...

1. The passage doesn't clearly prohibit pants on women but there are very
clear prohibitions for eating pork, not keeping Friday/Saturday (Sabbath)
holy, not wearing mixed apparel of linen and wool etc., so even if there
was (which there isn't), it still wouldn't mean it is for us today if it
isn't taught to Gentiles in the new covenant.

2. If Deuteronomy 22:5 is to be seen as a law to be obeyed today, then a
consistent interpretation would mean the prohibited mixed threads, Kosher
foods and other laws in the same chapter should also be followed. Why are
anti-pants teachers overlooking these others?

3. If the Deuteronomy 22 passage is to be used as a principle, it should
also be applicable to prohibit other male garments on women such as t-shirts,
boots, underwear, scarves, gloves, sneakers, etc. Why is this principle not
followed to its natural implications?

4. Lastly, if the Deuteronomy 22 passage is to be used as a principle for
today (and the previous three points are overlooked), then it remains to
be proved that pants are men's clothing. Culturally they were on women in
China long before the Western men left off wearing tights (which by the same
principle should be called men's apparel!) and hence fail on historical grounds
as well.

C) Hebrew for the word translated 'garment'

Let's look at the Hebrew word that 'garment' is translated from:
8071 simlah (sim-law'); Strong says: "perhaps by permutation for the feminine
of 5566 (through the idea of a cover assuming the shape of the object beneath);
a dress."

Some would focus in on the word Strong uses above (dress), saying that the
word in this passage teaches that the dress is female attire. They overlook
the fact that Strong goes on to say...

Strong says the majority of times it is translated raiment, clothes and garment
(as it is here in Deuteronomy 22:5 in the KJV). Not once is it translated
into the English word 'dress'. Rather similar to when we say men and
women's dress sense, we are not talking about only female attire. The word
means clothes, not dresses!

Some commentators teach the passage is specifically prohibiting women wearing
men's armour, but whether it's apparel or armour there is no teaching here
that pants are for men only.

D) Skirts

While Deuteronomy 22 verse 5 is often quoted, verse 30 is often overlooked...

If you're really going to follow the Bible literally and get back to Biblical
men's and women's garments, then get those sewing machines buzzing, men,
and stop those women from wearing your skirts!! (Yes I am joking.)

E) History

In ancient Egypt their normal clothing was a loincloth wrapped around
the hips and girdled at the waist. A cape was worn on the shoulders and later
a long garment called a kalasiris was introduced. Men wore this as a skirt
around their waist; women wore it over their upper body, or as a full-length
garment that sometimes had sleeves.

The Hebrews, Assyrians, and Babylonians all wore a long, sleeved garment
similar to a nightshirt, with cloaks or kalasiris-like overgarments. These
clothes appear to be stiff, with fringed and tasselled borders and square
or rounded corners.

For thousands of years in history we don't find pants and it is a relatively
modern and culturally brief period of history where there was a distinction
of pants only on men and dresses only on women.

Even today in the Pacific and other areas of the world, many continue to
wear a sarong or robe on males and females with only a small distinction
between them.

F) Summary

There is no verse in the Scriptures prohibiting women wearing pants or saying
that a dress was all a female could wear. Instead we find, in the Bible and
in history, men wearing similar garments to women (what we would call dresses
today).

There is also no Biblical precedent or teaching regarding males alone wearing
pants. Although there may be some cultural norms in some countries today,
there is no prohibition by God and it is never referred to (as many falsely
preach today) as an abomination to God. This is a sad example of denominational
ignorance and eisegesis (reading meaning into the text) instead of exegesis
(reading the text's meaning).

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